Gracias Por No Fumar: Exposure to Second Hand Smoke and Texans
Content
Gracias Por No Fumar: Exposure to Second Hand Smoke
and Texans
La Fe Policy Research and Education Center
www.lafepolicycenter.org 1313 Guadalupe ,Ste 102, * San Antonio, TX, 78207 * 210.208.9494/ 9493-f
With a fast growing population, purchasing power and a national declining trend in tobacco use, it’s no wonder millions are being spent on advertising to Latinos from the Tobacco industry. In the most recent Annual Population Estimates, Texas was among a few states that experienced a growth in population. With a growth of 2 million since 2000, Latinos are almost the largest population in Texas, (Latino:41%,White:43%, Black:11%, Other: 5%). It is projected that the Latino growth will continue increasing as much as 85% by 2040 to become the largest racial/ ethnic population.
•
Age- A young and growing population, Texas’s median age is 33.2 whereas the Latinos median age is 27. Of all children under 18, 45% are Latino children. Along the border, the Senior population, mainly Latino, is three times larger than the State’s average. Education- Educational attainment in Texas still remains the lowest among Latinos. Even when educated, Latinos and Blacks with a bachelor’s degree are still three times less likely to be insured than their White counterparts.
Age of Texans by Race/Ethnicity, 2008 10% 7% 56% 64% 15% 9% 6%
65 to 80+ Adult Under 18
•
60%
59%
62%
30% All
37%
21% White
33% Black
31% Other
•
Household Income- Sixty percent of Latino households Source: Current Population Survey 2009 ($36,522) will make less than the state’s household median income ($49,078). Texas ranks 30th in median household income compared to other states.
Hispanic
•
Labor- Latino labor force participation is 67% compared to Whites (66 %) and Blacks (69%). Latinos are represented more in occupations like Service (23%) and Sales and Office (23%) where income and wages are lower than Whites and Blacks. Poverty- One-quarter of the Texas population that lives in poverty is Latino compared to the State average of 16%. Latinas who are head of household with children under 18 in Texas have a two in five chance of living in poverty. Uninsured- Latinos represented 60% of the State’s total uninsured population in 2008. Latino children as well are more likely to be uninsured (30%) in 2007, which is twice that of Whites (13%) and Black (15.2%) children. Employer Sponsored Insurance (ESI) is still the lowest in the country (49%) with Latinos least likely to have ESI (36%) compared to Whites (62%) and Blacks (48%). Immigration-Citizenship among Latinos is 72% native, and 6% and 22% identified as naturalized and not-acitizen respectively. The economic recession did contribute to a decline in immigration but still accounted for 16% of the State’s population in 2007.
•
•
•
Source: U.S Citizen Bureau, Current Population Survey 2007-2008 and American Community Survey 2005-2007
Latinos are a complex and diverse community whose bienestar (well-being) is a reflection of their cultural values, socio-economic circumstances and environmental conditions. But their propensity to experience health and health insurance disparities, financial insecurity, and low educational attainment makes them a highly vulnerable population. For Latinos in Texas, a disproportionate likelihood of being exposed to secondhand smoke in their workplaces and the lack of smoke-free regulations in their community makes this a worker’s right and safety issue. With tobacco use and exposure a contributing cause of most premature deaths, supporting policy and programmatic measures to reduce or prevent tobacco use and protect families from the dangers of second hand smoke will have positive impacts on health and financial outcomes for Latinos for generations to come.
Let’s make Texas a Smoke Free State! Gracias por no fumar, en el hogar, en el auto y en el trabajo!
1 © La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, April 2010
Continue No Fumar….
Smoking Demographics
Latinos have a lower smoking rate than the national average, nationally 16.2% of Latino Adults smoke cigarettes. {1} Similar to the national trends, Latino males (21.1%) are still more likely then Latinas (11.1%) to be current smokers.{2} However, Latinos are significantly more likely not to allow smoking inside their homes than Whites and Blacks. Among Latinos, they have a higher smoking rate in Texas than nationally (17.1% versus 15.8%)
So uce: CDC
Adult Texan Cigarette Use, 2007
41.1% M edian- 19.8%
18-24yrs- 23.7% 25-44yrs- 21.0% 45-64yrs- 23.7%
22.0% 20.6% 19.4% 16.9% 18.8% 23.1% 17.1%
6.0%
US-22% U.S. Texas Male Fem ale Whites US-21.3% Black US-15.8% Latino US-9.9% Asian US-32.4% Native
In Texas, 27,100 kids (under 18) become new daily smokers each year and an additional 995,000 kids are exposed to secondhand smoke at home.{3} Among Texas students in grades 7-12, 42% reported initiating tobacco use before age of 13 in 2008. In that same year, Latino youth reported a higher lifetime rate (tried it and have chance of using in their lifetime) of tobacco use.{4} Students from along the Texas- Mexico border reported having higher lifetime and past-month use of tobacco. There have been some speculations that the true depth of the smoking problem in young Latinos is not truly understood as current data does not reflect all teens such as dropouts. S o urc e : Ado le s c e nt
S ubs ta nc e Us e in TX
Tobacco Use by all Secondary Students: 1990-2008
54.5% 55.2% 54.7% Ever Us ed 51.1% 44.9% 39.4% 35.4% 26.2% 26.3% 22.4% 18.2% 17.0% Past Month
56.2% 54.3%
22.9% 20.9%
24.2%
31.7%
15.2% 12.9%
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
At this time, Texas does not have a statewide smoke-free law that provides protection against exposure to secondhand smoke in public places. Lack of smokefree policy at the state level does not reflect recent polling in which 68% of Texans favor making all the state’s workplaces, restaurants and bars smokefree. In 2009: {9} • 37% of Texas municipal population are covered by smoke-free • 53% of Texans are covered by smoke-free municipal worksite • 51% of Texans are covered by smoke-free restaurants • 47% of Texans are covered by smoke-free bars in restaurants • 47% of Texans are covered by smoke-free bars
2 © La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, April 2010
Continue No Fumar….
Top 5 Leading Cause Of Death for Texas Latinos: 2006 An estimated 24,000 adults die from smokingattributable illness annually in Texas. That is more RANK CAUSE # RATE % than those from AIDS, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, car All Causes 28,077 330.8 100 accidents, fire, and murder - combined. For every 1 Diseases of heart 5,976 70.4 21.3 one person who dies from a tobacco-related cause, Malignant Neoplasms 2 (cancerous tumors) 5,639 66.4 20.1 there are 20 more people who are suffering with at 3 Accidents 2,183 25.7 7.8 least one serious illness from smoking.{5} What Cerebrovascular diseases does this mean for Latinos given their health and 4 (hypertension, high blood pressure) 1,601 18.9 5.7 socio-economic circumstances? 5 Diabetes mellitus 1,549 18.3 5.5
Source: Texas DSHS- Table 16 / (Rates Per 100,000 Estimated Population)
The truth about smoking for Latinos is that it’s a health justice issue. Given that Latinos have less access to health insurance and primary care, the chances of having problems from smoking or secondhand smoke exposure at an early stage puts them at greater risk of death from lung disease, heart disease and other chronic and fatal health effects. The leading cause of death in 2006 for Texas Latinos was heart disease (21%) and Cancer (20%). Nationally, lung cancers are the leading cause of cancer deaths among Latinos. Lung cancer rates are highest among Cuban-Americans followed by Puerto Ricans and then Mexican-Americans. The third leading cause of preventable death in U.S. is attributed to secondhand smoke. The impact of secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer and coronary heart disease in nonsmoking adults.{6} “Secondhand smoke kills and kills across the board. It is a threat to all of us, though especially to those of us who are obligated to breathe it in at work.“ - National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention Texas spends: $5.83 billion in costs to smoking $1.5 billion in costs to smoking from Texas Medicaid program Texas Cigarette Tax (2008) : $1.41 tax per pack
Secondhand smoke and access to clean air is a worker rights and safety issue. “Every day in this country, more than 14 workers lose their lives in preventable workplace incidents-close to 100 every week. The Latino community is also touched, losing 14 workers every week” reports U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. The susceptibility of Latino workers to a hazardous and unsafe working environment is more burdensome compared to others in Texas. Workplace fatalities in Texas are the highest nationally and Latino fatalities in construction from 1992-2005 increased by 125%. Smokers have higher preventable workplace accidents, and have slower health recovery. Despite lower smoking rates, disproportionately Latinos are less likely to be covered by workplace smoking policies and exposed to secondhand smoke. Workers in the food serve industries (36.6%) are least likely to be protected by smoke-free workplace ordinances.{7} Latinos comprise 10.5% of workers in the food service (includes arts, entertainment, accommodation) industry. Latinos are twice more likely to work in the service occupations than Whites.{8}
3 © La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, April 2010
Continue No Fumar….
In summary, Latinos in Texas have high risk vulnerabilities to smoke related illness and premature deaths. The risks result from a combination of demographics, economic conditions, work environments, health care access and education disparities, and marketing strategies of the tobacco industry. While targeted smoking prevention programs are important and needed in our community, building organized involvement, leadership, and advocacy capacity to address smoke-free and workplace protection policies at the local and state level is critical. Organizing for tobacco control policies in the Latino community in Texas must increase. Policies that contribute to smoking behaviors and secondhand smoke is a detriment to improving our bienestar and quality of life and this must change.
Endnotes:
(1) Hispanics and Tobacco, Center for Disease Control (2) Hispanics and Tobacco, Center for Disease Control (3) The Toll of Tobacco in Texas, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, www.tobaccofreekids.org (4) Texas Department of State Health Service, Adolescent Substance Use In Texas, (5) FACT: Tobacco Use is a Tremendous Burden to All Texans, Texas Department of State Health Services, www.prospect.org/cs/ articles?article=the_defacto_segregation_ of health_care (6) FACT: Tobacco Use is a Tremendous Burden to All Texans, Texas Department of State Health Services, www.prospect.org/cs/ articles?article=the_defacto_segregation_ of health_care (7) Latino/Hispanic Community and Secondhand Smoke, ANR, June 2003 (8) American Community Survey, 2006-2008, www.census.gov/acs (9) Office of Smoking and Health (OSH), 3rd quarter (July-Sept) of 2008
This publication was supported by CDC Cooperative Agreement Number U58/DP001515. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC. 4 © La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, April 2010
and Texans
La Fe Policy Research and Education Center
www.lafepolicycenter.org 1313 Guadalupe ,Ste 102, * San Antonio, TX, 78207 * 210.208.9494/ 9493-f
With a fast growing population, purchasing power and a national declining trend in tobacco use, it’s no wonder millions are being spent on advertising to Latinos from the Tobacco industry. In the most recent Annual Population Estimates, Texas was among a few states that experienced a growth in population. With a growth of 2 million since 2000, Latinos are almost the largest population in Texas, (Latino:41%,White:43%, Black:11%, Other: 5%). It is projected that the Latino growth will continue increasing as much as 85% by 2040 to become the largest racial/ ethnic population.
•
Age- A young and growing population, Texas’s median age is 33.2 whereas the Latinos median age is 27. Of all children under 18, 45% are Latino children. Along the border, the Senior population, mainly Latino, is three times larger than the State’s average. Education- Educational attainment in Texas still remains the lowest among Latinos. Even when educated, Latinos and Blacks with a bachelor’s degree are still three times less likely to be insured than their White counterparts.
Age of Texans by Race/Ethnicity, 2008 10% 7% 56% 64% 15% 9% 6%
65 to 80+ Adult Under 18
•
60%
59%
62%
30% All
37%
21% White
33% Black
31% Other
•
Household Income- Sixty percent of Latino households Source: Current Population Survey 2009 ($36,522) will make less than the state’s household median income ($49,078). Texas ranks 30th in median household income compared to other states.
Hispanic
•
Labor- Latino labor force participation is 67% compared to Whites (66 %) and Blacks (69%). Latinos are represented more in occupations like Service (23%) and Sales and Office (23%) where income and wages are lower than Whites and Blacks. Poverty- One-quarter of the Texas population that lives in poverty is Latino compared to the State average of 16%. Latinas who are head of household with children under 18 in Texas have a two in five chance of living in poverty. Uninsured- Latinos represented 60% of the State’s total uninsured population in 2008. Latino children as well are more likely to be uninsured (30%) in 2007, which is twice that of Whites (13%) and Black (15.2%) children. Employer Sponsored Insurance (ESI) is still the lowest in the country (49%) with Latinos least likely to have ESI (36%) compared to Whites (62%) and Blacks (48%). Immigration-Citizenship among Latinos is 72% native, and 6% and 22% identified as naturalized and not-acitizen respectively. The economic recession did contribute to a decline in immigration but still accounted for 16% of the State’s population in 2007.
•
•
•
Source: U.S Citizen Bureau, Current Population Survey 2007-2008 and American Community Survey 2005-2007
Latinos are a complex and diverse community whose bienestar (well-being) is a reflection of their cultural values, socio-economic circumstances and environmental conditions. But their propensity to experience health and health insurance disparities, financial insecurity, and low educational attainment makes them a highly vulnerable population. For Latinos in Texas, a disproportionate likelihood of being exposed to secondhand smoke in their workplaces and the lack of smoke-free regulations in their community makes this a worker’s right and safety issue. With tobacco use and exposure a contributing cause of most premature deaths, supporting policy and programmatic measures to reduce or prevent tobacco use and protect families from the dangers of second hand smoke will have positive impacts on health and financial outcomes for Latinos for generations to come.
Let’s make Texas a Smoke Free State! Gracias por no fumar, en el hogar, en el auto y en el trabajo!
1 © La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, April 2010
Continue No Fumar….
Smoking Demographics
Latinos have a lower smoking rate than the national average, nationally 16.2% of Latino Adults smoke cigarettes. {1} Similar to the national trends, Latino males (21.1%) are still more likely then Latinas (11.1%) to be current smokers.{2} However, Latinos are significantly more likely not to allow smoking inside their homes than Whites and Blacks. Among Latinos, they have a higher smoking rate in Texas than nationally (17.1% versus 15.8%)
So uce: CDC
Adult Texan Cigarette Use, 2007
41.1% M edian- 19.8%
18-24yrs- 23.7% 25-44yrs- 21.0% 45-64yrs- 23.7%
22.0% 20.6% 19.4% 16.9% 18.8% 23.1% 17.1%
6.0%
US-22% U.S. Texas Male Fem ale Whites US-21.3% Black US-15.8% Latino US-9.9% Asian US-32.4% Native
In Texas, 27,100 kids (under 18) become new daily smokers each year and an additional 995,000 kids are exposed to secondhand smoke at home.{3} Among Texas students in grades 7-12, 42% reported initiating tobacco use before age of 13 in 2008. In that same year, Latino youth reported a higher lifetime rate (tried it and have chance of using in their lifetime) of tobacco use.{4} Students from along the Texas- Mexico border reported having higher lifetime and past-month use of tobacco. There have been some speculations that the true depth of the smoking problem in young Latinos is not truly understood as current data does not reflect all teens such as dropouts. S o urc e : Ado le s c e nt
S ubs ta nc e Us e in TX
Tobacco Use by all Secondary Students: 1990-2008
54.5% 55.2% 54.7% Ever Us ed 51.1% 44.9% 39.4% 35.4% 26.2% 26.3% 22.4% 18.2% 17.0% Past Month
56.2% 54.3%
22.9% 20.9%
24.2%
31.7%
15.2% 12.9%
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
At this time, Texas does not have a statewide smoke-free law that provides protection against exposure to secondhand smoke in public places. Lack of smokefree policy at the state level does not reflect recent polling in which 68% of Texans favor making all the state’s workplaces, restaurants and bars smokefree. In 2009: {9} • 37% of Texas municipal population are covered by smoke-free • 53% of Texans are covered by smoke-free municipal worksite • 51% of Texans are covered by smoke-free restaurants • 47% of Texans are covered by smoke-free bars in restaurants • 47% of Texans are covered by smoke-free bars
2 © La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, April 2010
Continue No Fumar….
Top 5 Leading Cause Of Death for Texas Latinos: 2006 An estimated 24,000 adults die from smokingattributable illness annually in Texas. That is more RANK CAUSE # RATE % than those from AIDS, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, car All Causes 28,077 330.8 100 accidents, fire, and murder - combined. For every 1 Diseases of heart 5,976 70.4 21.3 one person who dies from a tobacco-related cause, Malignant Neoplasms 2 (cancerous tumors) 5,639 66.4 20.1 there are 20 more people who are suffering with at 3 Accidents 2,183 25.7 7.8 least one serious illness from smoking.{5} What Cerebrovascular diseases does this mean for Latinos given their health and 4 (hypertension, high blood pressure) 1,601 18.9 5.7 socio-economic circumstances? 5 Diabetes mellitus 1,549 18.3 5.5
Source: Texas DSHS- Table 16 / (Rates Per 100,000 Estimated Population)
The truth about smoking for Latinos is that it’s a health justice issue. Given that Latinos have less access to health insurance and primary care, the chances of having problems from smoking or secondhand smoke exposure at an early stage puts them at greater risk of death from lung disease, heart disease and other chronic and fatal health effects. The leading cause of death in 2006 for Texas Latinos was heart disease (21%) and Cancer (20%). Nationally, lung cancers are the leading cause of cancer deaths among Latinos. Lung cancer rates are highest among Cuban-Americans followed by Puerto Ricans and then Mexican-Americans. The third leading cause of preventable death in U.S. is attributed to secondhand smoke. The impact of secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer and coronary heart disease in nonsmoking adults.{6} “Secondhand smoke kills and kills across the board. It is a threat to all of us, though especially to those of us who are obligated to breathe it in at work.“ - National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention Texas spends: $5.83 billion in costs to smoking $1.5 billion in costs to smoking from Texas Medicaid program Texas Cigarette Tax (2008) : $1.41 tax per pack
Secondhand smoke and access to clean air is a worker rights and safety issue. “Every day in this country, more than 14 workers lose their lives in preventable workplace incidents-close to 100 every week. The Latino community is also touched, losing 14 workers every week” reports U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. The susceptibility of Latino workers to a hazardous and unsafe working environment is more burdensome compared to others in Texas. Workplace fatalities in Texas are the highest nationally and Latino fatalities in construction from 1992-2005 increased by 125%. Smokers have higher preventable workplace accidents, and have slower health recovery. Despite lower smoking rates, disproportionately Latinos are less likely to be covered by workplace smoking policies and exposed to secondhand smoke. Workers in the food serve industries (36.6%) are least likely to be protected by smoke-free workplace ordinances.{7} Latinos comprise 10.5% of workers in the food service (includes arts, entertainment, accommodation) industry. Latinos are twice more likely to work in the service occupations than Whites.{8}
3 © La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, April 2010
Continue No Fumar….
In summary, Latinos in Texas have high risk vulnerabilities to smoke related illness and premature deaths. The risks result from a combination of demographics, economic conditions, work environments, health care access and education disparities, and marketing strategies of the tobacco industry. While targeted smoking prevention programs are important and needed in our community, building organized involvement, leadership, and advocacy capacity to address smoke-free and workplace protection policies at the local and state level is critical. Organizing for tobacco control policies in the Latino community in Texas must increase. Policies that contribute to smoking behaviors and secondhand smoke is a detriment to improving our bienestar and quality of life and this must change.
Endnotes:
(1) Hispanics and Tobacco, Center for Disease Control (2) Hispanics and Tobacco, Center for Disease Control (3) The Toll of Tobacco in Texas, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, www.tobaccofreekids.org (4) Texas Department of State Health Service, Adolescent Substance Use In Texas, (5) FACT: Tobacco Use is a Tremendous Burden to All Texans, Texas Department of State Health Services, www.prospect.org/cs/ articles?article=the_defacto_segregation_ of health_care (6) FACT: Tobacco Use is a Tremendous Burden to All Texans, Texas Department of State Health Services, www.prospect.org/cs/ articles?article=the_defacto_segregation_ of health_care (7) Latino/Hispanic Community and Secondhand Smoke, ANR, June 2003 (8) American Community Survey, 2006-2008, www.census.gov/acs (9) Office of Smoking and Health (OSH), 3rd quarter (July-Sept) of 2008
This publication was supported by CDC Cooperative Agreement Number U58/DP001515. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC. 4 © La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, April 2010
